With March Madness in full gear, I had the opportunity to speak with Miles Simon, a March Madness legend, who led the Arizona Wildcats to a national championship in 1997 while winning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award.

In Simon's first year as a Wildcat, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 rebounds per game. During the tournament, Simon led all scorers with 132 points. Simon's stellar play was a big reason why Arizona was able to win their first and only national championship.

How Did It Feel to Win the National Championship, Were You Ever Nervous?

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Miles

I was never nervous. Once I got out on that court and starting shooting around prior to the game, I became numb to everything.

It was the greatest experience of my life. Bringing home a national championship for a Hall of Fame coach like Lute Olson is an unexplainable emotion, you just can't put an emotion on it.

We put in a lot of hard work, and once that ball went up in the air, all the nervousness was gone and I just focused on playing well for my team and making sure we were able to compete and win every game in the tournament.

Winning the Most Outstanding Player player award was a great honor and I worked really hard to get there, and once we won the championship it all paid off.

Who Was Your Favorite Rival to Play Against?

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Miles

Who was my favorite team to play against? I have to say UCLA.

I always loved to play against them, the games were always competitive.

I am also from Southern California so it was really good to go home and play against them in my hometown. I would be playing in front of my family and friends, it was always special for me to play against the Bruins.

Conclusion

After I thanked Miles for the interview, I told him how I want to be in his position right now as a TV analyst.

Miles currently works for ESPN as a color commentator and as an analyst.

I gained a lot of respect from Miles after the interview was over because he seemed so passionate about college basketball. He definitely knew what he was talking about when I asked him what he looks for when he is choosing a champion.

Miles was very modest about his championship victory. He gave a lot of credit to his coach Lute Olson and to his teammates.

I would like to thank Miles Simon for taking the time out of his busy schedule to have a chat with me. I would like to wish him the best of luck in his future and with his college basketball brackets.